Sydney’s Botanic Gardens has been named NSW Major Tourist Attraction of the Year

Sydney’s harbourside horticultural oasis has taken out the top gong in the NSW Tourism Awards for the second year in a row. The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, which features in our own top tourist attractions list, has been named NSW Major Tourist Attraction of the Year for the second year running.

Any Sydneysider can tell you we’re #blessed to have a 74-acre botanic garden that wraps around the harbour, overlooking three of our famous landmarks: the Opera House, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and the Harbour Bridge. But they might not know the gardens has free WiFi, runs frequent Aboriginal Heritage Tours, and has award-winning community programs such as community greening.

It’s now in Australia’s top ten most visited destinations for international travellers, welcoming 5.43 million visitors each year. Given it was founded in 1816, the garden is also the oldest living scientific institution in the country.

If you haven’t paid the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney a visit in a while, why not plan a trip to the free Plants With Bite exhibition at the Calyx – a display of 25,000 carnivorous plants. Or pay a visit to the Growing Friends’ Nursery, which has baby plants propagated by volunteers from the garden’s living collection for as little as $2.50 a pot.